Who’s Funding the Fight for Rural Voters?

Rural Democracy Initiative Executive Director Sarah Jaynes spoke with Inside Political Money about why year-round, locally led organizing is essential to reaching rural voters, and why funding shortfalls are making that work harder.

We're thinking about increasing the quality of the work that's done, not just the quantity. Every door knock is not equal. The difference between a very high-quality door knock and a mediocre door knock is significant in terms of persuasion and turnout. If you bring in 100 field organizers from out of town at election time and have them swarm the doors when people are already being barraged with voter contact, it's going to feel like an assault. It's not going to feel like a conversation. I don't know whether it does more harm than good, but it certainly does not move voters in your direction.
Sarah Jaynes